Donations start to roll in for Lyon-Martin health clinic

Since the news broke that San Francisco’s Lyon-Martin Health Services, which serves women and transgender people, was about to shut its doors due to financial distress, its supporters have come out in force.

After a meeting Tuesday night at the LGBT Community Center, which was attended by about 175 supporters, several supervisors and Sen. Leland Yee, more than $10,000 in donations have come in and an additional $55,000 have been pledged, said Dr. Dawn Harbatkin, medical director and interim executive director of the Upper Market clinic.

The amount of money raised so far is a far cry from the $250,000 the clinic needs — half its immediate debt of $500,000 — just to keep its doors open.

But Harbatkin said today she is “amazingly hopeful” that the clinic will be able raise enough money, possibly within two weeks, to stay open. That said, she was busy preparing a closure plan for the clinic that will include the transfer of its patients to other facilities.

The clinic’s board of directors voted Sunday to close the clinic tomorrow. While the board has yet to rescind the resolution, Harbatkin remained convinced that she would be able to delay the closure for at least a month to carry out the transition plan.

Lyon-Martin, which was founded in 1979 and named after pioneering lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, is California’s only free-standing community clinic with a specific emphasis on providing health care to lesbian and bisexual women and transgendered people. It served nearly 2,500 patients last year.

Donations can be made online or via check to the clinic at 1748 Market St., Suite 201, San Francisco, CA 94102. People can donate over the phone by calling 415-901-7131.

Sunday’s fundraiser, billed as “Hotties 4 Homo Health Care,” will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the El Rio. The evening will include performances, DJs, and hundreds of dollars worth of raffle prizes. Suggested donations run from $5-20 sliding scale.